I’ve been asked many times since starting this cargo conversion why I didn’t just buy an RV. I am an experienced RV owner so the question is understandable.
I know how most RV’s are built and the first thing that comes to mind when the question is asked is “If you gotta ask, you won’t understand!”.
Instead of responding with such a dismissive statement this is the jist of what I say instead…
Here’s Why
At the time, when I first started looking into actually building a cargo conversion the price of travel trailers were over the moon. Used travel trailers were nearly as much as new and to find something in our budget meant that there was going to be a lot of work in getting it road ready. It just wasn’t going to happen.
We were looking for a “summer cabin” to take to Alaska and we didn’t want to pull our 5th wheel up there again. The roads were pretty rough for long stretches and the first trip up the Alcan Highway (and others) took its toll on our 5th wheel. We just wanted something we could get in and out of small boondocking places. The 5th wheel really limited where we could go for the 4 months we were up there.
I was watching YouTube and ran across this guy and his wife who had built a camper out of a cargo trailer (Hi Bill and Deb from I Ride Tiny House Adventures! YouTube & Website). The guy was as old as me so I figured if he could do it I could too.
I have a little experience with saws and tape measures so the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea… besides, I have always wanted to build my own home but life happened and it never came to pass.
The Real Question
The unspoken part of the question is probably the hardest to understand: “why would you put yourself through that much work when you can just buy a ready-made camper?” but what I hear is “why not let someone else get the satisfaction of building your camper the way they want?”
I have always enjoyed working with my hands to create things. It’s just part of who I am. There’s nothing more satisfying than figuring out new ways to solve problems and seeing the results of that effort.
I’ve built everything from gun cabinets to baby cradles and complete room remodels to off-grid solar systems. Every time I finish a project I’m amazed that I can actually do that. My payback for the work is when others appreciate a job done well and even when it’s not noticed, I notice and appreciate what I’ve accomplished.
Quality Assurance
There’s also the notion that the quality of what I build is going to far exceed the quality of any RV I could buy.
- I know that when I attach trim to the conversion it is going to stay attached!
- I know that when I run plumbing each and every joint is going to be meticulously created to minimize the possibility of leaks.
- I know that each electrical circuit is going to be properly installed and safe.
- It won’t be held together with nails, staples and a prayer and nothing will fall apart because of road vibration.
- I know that when I go to work on my cargo trailer conversion I won’t have been on a drunken bender the night before and just start slapping things together to make the boss happy, though Alison can be quite the taskmaster (I jest, of course)!
Obviously I needed to start the conversion with a well-built and engineered cargo trailer and that was a matter of doing the proper and thorough research and a little luck. I’m not a welder and don’t have the skill, time or patience to build my own trailer frame.
These are the reasons I’m building my own camper so “If you have to ask, you won’t understand” is apropos.
